"Why should I even read this?"

Hello everyone,

First off THANK YOU so much for your interest in this new blogging project that I am embarking on. I am so excited to take you on this journey with me. My hope is that you are all able to find some value through reading my blog posts, newsfeed shares and other content. The purpose of this site is two-fold: firstly, I want to share my story as a research associate who is newly entering into the field of biomedical research in the hopes that others considering a similar path may find valuable information and be able to use me as a resource as they navigate career decisions. I also hope that by sharing my stories and experiences, my friends, family members and the general public will get a sneak peek into the ‘behind the scenes’ of scientific data and discovery so that they feel more connected to the world of science and thus hopefully more willing to trust in it. In addition to sharing my own journey, I also aim to highlight new and exciting research in a manner that is digestible, easy to understand and interesting for those with a non-scientific background.

I have always enjoyed writing about science and sharing it with my friends and family, and so as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and showed us the grave importance of clear science communication, I felt an urge to play my part. I found that I had friends and family members turning to me for information on the virus including how it spreads, what is it and what should I do about it?! There has been so much information swirling through our social media, social circles and the news cycle and it is so difficult to pick through the noise. How are we supposed to filter through all this information? It is so difficult to know what is truthful, what is an extension of the truth and what is just plain false information. So, my hope is that this platform can be a resource for you – a place where you can find up to date (and interesting) information on everything from COVID to cancer.

As I mentioned earlier, I will also be using this platform to share my experience as a scientific researcher. This is because I personally would have found it so helpful to have an inside peak into what it takes to do research and what an actual ‘day in the life’ of a lab rat is when I was navigating my own career decisions. Currently I am working as a research associate in a cancer biology laboratory at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I have been working at the Broad for over 8 months now and can’t wait to share all the stories, challenges and experiences I have had since arriving.

That’s all for my first introduction but look out for more content coming soon!